Stargate LRP (SEF)

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sm0keyb · Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 1359

Tabitha Becker · Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 6:28 pm Post subject:

I don't know if I've misunderstood your point, but I can't quite see the problem that you are getting at. As far as I understand it, the SEF as we have created it will hire any person, at any age, if they are the right person for the job*.

Any player starting a character will only have the points to create a character with a limited range of skills, and that means that our actual skill set may not fit our professed character - especially if that's a character of high rank or long experience - until we've been playing a while. But that's always the case with a role play system where you collect points I think? It seems to be true of tabletop as well I'd say. And it applies equally to all players of all ages I think.

As I say perhaps I've missed your point.

*Unless they are under 16 or under 18 but I think that's more of an OC thing - in the show there have been children on base for one reason and another.
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Broz · Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 8:55 pm Post subject:

I'm with Polly on this one.

TBH Nigel I think you're creating a problerm that doesn't exist. Personnally I take the approch that the character's background gets them through the door, at which point it becomes what you make of it in contact with the game and the character's interaction with a world completly outside of their experience and comfort zone, being a shit hot electrical engineer is going to come to limited use when dealing with a ZPM. Appropriate choice and use of feats would strike me as an appropriate approch

Further to that, one idea might be when creating a character, the player gets to pick a few feats at generation to give them a bit more flavour. It might also be an idea for one or more new background feats?

The system you mention from An Evening of Science and Mystery, while great is intended as very particular to that game and setting and represents significant benefits for significant costs. Hence why Professor Kaptain Kazimirez Kurz has an actinicly motivated ballistic rocket firing submersible but spent sixty bitter radiation soaked years building it.
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sm0keyb · Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 1359

O.K. I'll try to be clearer. I've shied away from this for a long time, 'cos I'm well aware that it looks like I'm just after some snackies for myself. It's a problem with every larp system that however senior your character is, at startup you can only pick from the same abilities/ feats etc as everybody else in the system. That's broadly fair & I can certainly see the difficulties in doing it any other way. I agree that you can tailor your character a good deal by judicious choice of feats. For a player in the age range of say 18 to 45, maybe 50 they can play a character of whatever age they like, especially if you want to "age" your character to match their seniority.

I'm 63. I've got a busted up shoulder & back. I'm probably 15 years older than the next oldest larper I know. There is no way I can play a character 20 years younger than myself. Any character I do play would have to be really special in some way to be in the SEF at any age that I could play. As Polly puts it, to be "the right person for the job". If I play a character with exactly the same character creation picks as someone half my age, that character simply wouldn't be plausible in the context.

Now I don't want to ask for special treatment 'cos I'm an old fart, so I do think that playing a veteran character should be open to all. Also I don't think it should be a route to creating super characters that completely overmatch everybody else, so I think you'd have to tailor the character creation choices to give grater specialization in a given area, and you'd have to play the character as being of advanced years (or in my case just be of advanced years.

I know I've got a particular viewpoint on this 'cos I am that old. If nobody else thinks the veteran character choice at character creation is a worthwhile choice, then I guess I'll have to live with it. I don't want special treatment. I didn't think I'd be able to create a new character after Connor but then Thorne came along, maybe it'll happen again but at the moment I can't see any viable character that I could play when Thorne cops it. Retiring would be a big disappointment 'cos I massively enjoy the game.
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RHys Llewellyn · Joined: 23 Apr 2009 Posts: 172

I dont think this is a rules issue, but a roleplay issue, but still a farly comman one that does no harm to discuss.
I agree one of the hardest things with LARP is the play something your Physically not. I hope to have a 16 year old playing a PHD physiciatist with me, but odd for certain. Certainly characters with that higher level of seniority or experience should act like it.

Out of curiosity how old would you say the former Gefforey Manning was? (i had submitted a Date of Birth and background so it was fixed.)

On another note Nigel, I have a nice Shiny new red briefcase never been used, you could always play a Civil Servant Smile

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sm0keyb · Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 1359

I wouldn't dare to try to out bureaucratise Geffory. I reckon he was in his early 40s.

Actually, I was very nearly gifted a character in one of the NPCs I played last game. Unfortunately, I don't think he'd have a place in the SEF at all.
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Woody · Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 479

Sorry to disgaree Nigel but I do think that its all about the background and there will always be ways of explaining why someone of advancing years has only just been brought into the program. It all depends on what you want to play and how you want to play it. If you have an idea for a background or even a set of skills some of us have been doing both table top and LRP for years and can work out appropriate backgrounds for the most unexplainable of backgrounds. Plus don't forget the old favourite. Experiment gone wrong. You ID may say major aged 35 but a dodgy trip through the stargate aged you prematurly.
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Tabitha Becker · Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 8:21 am Post subject:

Right, I see, you are basically talking about merits and flaws. I certainly can't see any reason why we shouldn't discuss whether we wanted to add merits and flaws to the game, but I'd argue for discussing this more generally, not just in the one instance. But I would be against using merits and flaws to have to actually allow for real reality as opposed to just making a character more interesting and I'd rather get the one issue resolved before talking about the other one.

As Woody says there are loads of background tweaks that you can use to make sense of anything. There's a sort of long leash between reality and Stargate reality as well I think. The SEF is relatively flexible in its entry requirements, the other LRPers are relatively generous with their imaginations, and the game doesn't tax us as bluntly as reality would. That has limitations too obviously - there will still be things we can't do in the game - can't be acrobatic if we're not, or funny, or beautiful, or young, or old. And there may be things we can do outside the game which we can't do inside, because of not enough points. It's a leveller.

It is great having you in the game Nigel and I certainly wouldn't want you to leave, much less because you felt that you had to. In the unhappy event that anything happens to Thorne, you should definitely sit down with some people and talk about what you want for your character and how to get there. I'd also be happy to discuss this further but I think it would be more productive to do in person than on the boards - as you can see I've already rambled on far too long - perhaps at the next event?
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Tempest · Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 56

How about if you could use some of your skill picks at character creation to get you extra cards on a skill game based skill, ie you’ve been an electrical engineer for years, its all you really know but youre damn good at it. (This would obviously need an addition to the rules). Or as others have suggested an inventive background can answer all kinds of problems, I like Woodys suggestion of having been prematurely aged while stepping through the stargate.

Perhaps combine your main skill choice with a few veteran skills to represent the fact you’ve been around the block a few time. Lots of options out there I think.
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Jade Dragon · Joined: 21 Jul 2008 Posts: 53 Location: Wales

Id have to disagree somewhat (though I do see what point you are trying to make) on the making players choose characters and skills dependant on age. After all the whole point of going to a roll play is so you get to NOT be yourself for a bit.

For example if your characters are based on physical discription alone then surely most of the players characters wouldnt be allowed. How many people turning up would actually have the physical stats in real life to be a part of a military specialist organisation, or carry around all that heavy artilliry...etc. Also if its based on physical discription then people would be able to be characters from other ethnic backgrounds, or Aliens for example.

And if its experience and knowledge that comes with age well i know alot of younger people than me that know alot more about different things then I ever will. People learn and develop differently.

Surely a character choice should be about peoples imagination and roleplaying ability not age.

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